Method of manufacturing a booklet with protective covers

ABSTRACT

A booklet has front and back protective covers between which is sandwiched a printed folded sheet. The folded sheet consists of a series of panels that are folded one over another in turn and are then folded together in half about at least one fold line orthogonal to the folding of the individual panels. With this booklet, its overall dimensions when folded can be kept small, for example, credit card size whereas the printable area of the inner folded sheet is much larger. Moreover, the structure of the booklet is one suitable for in-line production.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to booklets and to an automated method ofmaking the same. In particular, but not exclusively, the presentinvention relates to smaller booklets suitable for carrying around in apocket, such as credit card sized booklets, but that are capable ofpresenting a large amount of information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Printed paper has always been folded, for convenience, to reduce thearea of its main surface, for example maps. However, simply folding asheet of paper leaves it unprotected to the effects of wear and tear andthe edges in particular can, over time, become tom. In EP0288472 a sheetis described which has concertina folds and which includes stiffenedportions at diagonally opposed corners of the sheet. The stiffenedportions form front and back covers to the folded sheet, therebyaffording the folded sheet some protection. The stiffened portions aredescribed as being magnetised in order to ensure that the folded sheetcan be held closed. EP0288472 omits any explanation as to how such abooklet could, in practice, be manufactured.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,140 a card-like article is described whichconsists of front and back transparent protective sheets between which acard-like article may be interposed and secured as the inner surfaces ofboth of the transparent sheets bear a pressure sensitive adhesive. Withthis arrangement the article is fixed once it has been placed betweenthe protective outer sheets. Thus, this arrangement provides noopportunity for the article to be folded. Instead the area of theprinted surface of the article is limited by the surface area of theprotective sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,140 also fails to provide anyexplanation of how the card-like article and the protective cover sheetscould, in practice, be manufactured.

In DE2112886 an in-line method of manufacturing self-adhesive addresslabels is described in which a paper label sheet is adhered to a layerof adhesive supported by a web of silicon coated material. The width ofthe paper label sheet, in a direction orthogonal to the direction ofmovement of the web, is less than the width of the web so that an edgeportion of the adhesive layer is left exposed. Individual labels arethen cut out from the paper label sheet and the waste paper removedcarrying with it unwanted adhesive surrounding each of the cut labels. Aweb of paper is then applied over the top of the individual labels, theexposed adhesive and the web of silicon material. The webs are then cutthrough to form individual adhesive labels sandwiched between opposingouter protective sheets that are secured together along one edge. Whilstthis document provides a description of one method of manufacturingindividual labels, the individual labels are restricted in size to thedimensions of the outer protective layers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improved booklet and a methodof manufacturing the same.

The present invention provides a booklet manufacturing method comprisingthe following steps: providing first and second webs of protectivematerial; introducing between the first and second webs of protectivematerial a series of intermediate booklets; and cutting through at leastthe first and second webs of protective material to form individualbooklets, characterised in that the intermediate booklets each comprisea sheet having at least one fold and during the cutting step theintermediate booklet is cut so as to separate the fold from theintermediate booklet.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a booklet comprisingfront and back protective covers and at least one sheet therebetween,the front and back covers being adhered to one another along one edgeand the sheet being folded such that in its unfolded state the surfacearea of the sheet is greater than the surface area of either the frontor back protective covers.

The present invention also provides a booklet when manufactured by themethod described above.

With the present invention a booklet from an automated manufacturingprocedure can provide greater surface for print than the surface area ofthe booklet when closed. The booklet and the method of manufacturing thebooklet are particularly suited to booklets intended to be ofapproximately credit card size.

Reference is made herein to the transverse edges of the booklet. Theseare the edges of the booklet that lie generally orthogonal to thedirection in which the booklet is opened whereas the longitudinal edgesof the booklet lie substantially parallel to the direction in which thebooklet is opened, subject, of course, to the particular shape of anindividual booklet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a first booklet in accordancewith the present invention in a closed configuration;

FIG. 2 shows the booklet of FIG. 1 partially opened;

FIG. 3 shows the booklet of FIG. 1 fully opened;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an apparatus for the manufacture of the bookletof FIGS. 1 to 3 in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 a illustrates a sheet before folding on which are marked foldlines and die-cutting lines;

FIG. 5 b illustrates the die-cutting lines to produce the booklet ofFIGS. 1–3;

FIG. 6 illustrates a second booklet in an opened configuration, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a third booklet in an opened configuration, inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a fourth booklet in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a fifth booklet in accordance with the presentinvention, in an opened configuration; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a sixth booklet in accordance with the presentinvention, in an opened configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The booklet 1 of FIG. 1 includes respective front and back protectivecovers 2, 3 between which is sandwiched a folded sheet 4 at east oneside of which is printed. The front protective cover 2 has a layer ofadhesive 5 on its inner surface to which a portion of the folded sheetis adhered. The adhesive 5 also secures the back cover 3 to the frontcover 2 along one edge 6 that forms the spine of the booklet 1. Theportion of the folded sheet, which is adhered to the front cover,extends to the periphery of the front protective sheet along threeedges, the fourth edge being the edge where the front and backprotective sheets are adhered to one another. At the edge 7, which isopposite to the edge 6 where the front and back sheets are secured, theportion of the folded sheet which is adhered to the front sheet includesa cut-out 8 which exposes the adhesive on the inner surface of the frontsheet-2. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the folds of the sheet 4 arepositioned inwards from the edge 7 of the front sheet. In this way thecut-out 8 defines an aperture through which the front and back sheetsare adhered together.

The protective covers 2, 3 are preferably of a plastics material, forexample polyester, polypropylene or vinyl. The front and back covers mayalso be printed but are preferably transparent. The sheet 4, on theother hand, is preferably of paper or any other material that issuitable for printing or writing upon and is capable of being folded.The layer of adhesive 5 is preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive suchas an aqueous acrylic that is also preferably transparent. This adhesiveprovides a substantially permanent adhesion between the folded sheet 4and the front cover sheet 2 but a resealable adhesion between the frontand back cover sheets 2, 3, because of the different characteristics ofthe materials with which it is in contact. This enables the front andback sheets to be separated, where they adhere to one another at thecut-out 8, to open the booklet 1 and they can then be re-adhered toclose the booklet on subsequent occasions.

As is more clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the folded sheet 4 consists ofa series of panels that are folded one over the other in turn (in az-fold) and then are together folded in half in a direction orthogonalto the folding of the individual panels. The fold lines are indicated inthe figures by dotted lines. The folded sheet illustrated in FIGS. 1–3consists of five panels 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, with panel 9 being theoutermost panel, enclosing the other panels, when the sheet 4 is in itsfolded state. The first panel 9 has a greater width, parallel to thespine 6 of the booklet, than the remaining panels as the first panelextends the entire width of the front cover sheet 2, between opposinglongitudinal edges of the cover sheet. The width of the panels isdescribed with reference to the width of the front sheet but thecomparison is equally true for the back sheet 3. The second panel 10 hasa slightly smaller width. It extends from one edge of the front coversheet to its fold line 14 with the third panel at a position inward fromthe opposing longitudinal edge of the front sheet. The third and fourthpanels 11, 12 are approximately equal in width, but smaller in widththan the first and second panels, as their respective fold lines 14, 15,16 are all positioned inward from the opposing longitudinal edges of thefront cover sheet. The fifth panel 13 is smaller in width than all ofthe other panels and preferably has a width half of that of the firstpanel or even less.

The panels of the sheet 4 are folded in a zigzag so that the first panelforms the outermost panel and the fifth panel forms the innermost panel.As can be seen from FIG. 2, this results in the free edge of the fifthpanel being approximately central to the booklet. This arrangementresults in the free edge of the fifth panel being particularly easy tograsp when unfolding the sheet but also prevents accidental unfolding ofthe sheet 4 because the free edge of the fifth panel is distant from theedges of the front and back sheets. This ensures that the free edge ofthe fifth panel cannot easily be caught and pulled when the booklet isin its closed configuration.

The first and second panels 9 and 10 are secured together by a line ofadhesive 17. To assist in an understanding of the structure of thebooklet, the line of adhesive is indicated in FIG. 3 by a line ofcross-hatching. In practice the second panel 10 would obscure the viewof the line of adhesive in FIG. 3 as the adhesive is on the surface ofthe second panel 10 facing into the Figure.

The fold line between the first and second panels 9 and 10 is notillustrated in FIG. 2 or 3. This is because the fold line is removedduring manufacture of the booklet 1. The first panel 9 therefore hasopposing free longitudinal edges 18 and 19 and the second panel 10 has afree longitudinal edge 20 and an opposing fold line 14 with the thirdpanel 11. Thus, in the booklet 1, the folded sheet 4 is separated intotwo parts with the first part being the first panel 9 which is securedto the second part, comprising the remaining panels of the sheet, by theline of adhesive 17.

As was described earlier the sheet 4 is also folded in a directionperpendicular to the fold lines between the individual sheets. Thistransverse fold line 21, which lies parallel to the edge region 6 wherethe front and back protective-sheets are secured together, divides eachpanel into two sections. In the case of the first panel 9, the firstpanel section 9 a is that portion of the folded sheet that is adhered tothe front sheet 2. The second panel section 9 b is adjacent the backprotective sheet 3 of the booklet but need not be directly adheredthereto.

With the booklet described above a large amount of information can beprinted onto the folded sheet 4. The sheet 4 is then folded for storageinto a conveniently small size, for example credit card size. Moreover,the adhesion of the front protective sheet 2 to the back protectivesheet 3 via the cut-out 8 ensures that the booklet 1 is held closeduntil it is desired to open the booklet and that the booklet can beopened and re-secured in a closed configuration repeatedly.

FIG. 4 illustrates an apparatus for the automated manufacture of thebooklet described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3 in which the bookletcan be manufactured in-line with all of the elements and features of thebooklet being brought together in a single automated manufacturingprocedure. Stock material is supplied on a roll 101 as a web andcomprises a web of plastics material that is to be used to form thefront cover sheet 2, a layer of adhesive 5 and a release layer 102 whichcovers the adhesive layer and which may be a paper or plastics materialhaving a waxed or siliconised surface facing the adhesive layer 5. Thestock material is unrolled and has the release layer removed 103 aswaste material. The web of plastics material thus supports an exposedlayer of adhesive uppermost as it travels from the station where therelease material is removed to an intermediate booklet applying station104.

At the intermediate booklet applying station 104 individual intermediatebooklets 4, in the form of folded sheets, are applied individually tothe exposed adhesive 5. The folded sheets 4 are applied to the layer ofadhesive 5 downwardly with the front face 9 a of the folded sheet facingtowards the adhesive 5. The intermediate booklets 4 are delivered to theapplying station 104 by means of a conventional conveyor 105 and may bedelivered to the conveyor 105 from a hopper 106, as illustrated.Alternatively, the automated folding of the sheets 4 and the delivery ofthe folded sheets to the applying station 104 can be integrated with themanufacture of the booklets 1.

The plastics material 2 with a sequential series of individual foldedsheets 4 then travels to a web applying station 107 where a web ofplastics material 3 is applied over the top of the layer 5 of adhesivematerial and the folded sheets. The plastics material 3 applied at thisstation 107 is similar to the web of plastics material 2 but has noadhesive layer. The combination of the lower web of plastics material 2,the adhesive layer 5, the folded sheets 4 and the upper web of plasticsmaterial 3 then travels to a die-cutting station 108 where individualbooklets are die-cut from the webs and the waste 109 is removed. Thedie-cutters may be conventional rotary or flat-bed cutters and arearranged to cut through all layers passing therebetween to formindividual booklets separated from one another on the conveyor. Theindividual booklets then travel to a collection hopper 110 where theyare collected together for packaging and storage.

It is particularly convenient, but not essential, for the folded sheets4 to be applied to the layer of adhesive with the fold line 23 facingtowards the direction of travel. This reduces the risk of the bookletbeing inadvertently opened when the waste 109, surrounding each of theindividual booklets, is removed. In this orientation, the longitudinaledges of the booklet lie substantially parallel to the direction oftravel.

The delivery of the booklets to the adhesive layer can be monitored andcontrolled using conventional techniques. For example, a sensor (notshown) may be positioned upstream from the die-cutting station 108 todetect the leading edge of each intermediate booklet. The timing of thedie-cutter is then adjusted to accommodate the time of travel of theintermediate booklet from the sensor to the die-cutting station.Alternatively, the delivery of the intermediate booklets to the layer ofadhesive may be adjusted with respect to the timing of the die-cuttingstation 108.

As mentioned earlier it is envisaged that the intermediate booklets 4 bemanufactured as part of the in-line process. In FIG. 5 a a sheet 4 isillustrated showing the fold lines (as dotted lines) and the die-cutlines (as dot-dash lines) and in FIG. 5 b a folded sheet sandwichedbetween upper and lower webs of plastics material is shown with thedie-cutting lines marked in dot-dashed lines. The sheet 4 is initiallybe printed on one or both sides and has a line of adhesive 17 applied tothe surface of the sheet facing into the Figure. The sheet 4 is thenfolded about the fold line 9 c between the first panel 9 and the secondpanel 10 so that the line of adhesive 17 is enclosed within the twopanels. Further folds are made about fold lines 14, 15 and 16 in turn sothat the final panel 21 partially overlies the other panels of the sheet4. A final fold about fold line 21 is then performed so that the foldedsheet forms an intermediate booklet with the panel section 9 a facinginto the Figure. Once folded, the two dot-dash lines 19 and 20 should bealigned with one another to represent a single line of cutting, in-boardfrom the fold line 9 c. Also, as can be seen in FIG. 5 a, the cut-out 8is already present in the panel section 9 a.

The surface of the panel section 9 a, facing inwards in FIG. 5 b, is thesurface that is subsequently brought into contact with the layer ofadhesive on the web of plastics material 2. Once the second web ofplastics material is in place and the sandwiched layers of plasticsmaterial and folded sheet are brought to the die-cutting station 108 abooklet is cut from the combination of layers. This may be performed asa single cut or as a series of cuts. In FIG. 5 b the cutting lines areindicated in dot-dash lines 108. Th dot-dash lines 18, 19 and 20 in FIG.5 a correspond to the two parallel cuts through both webs of plasticmaterial and the folded sheet 4. The cuts produce co-terminus edges forboth layers of plastic material, forming the front 2 and back 3 coversof the booklet, and for the folded sheet 4. A further cut is madethrough the two webs of plastic material and the end section of thefirst panel section 9 a, adjacent the cut-out 8. A further cut, throughonly the two webs of plastic material, beyond the folded edge 21 of thesheet 4, forms the spine 6 of the booklet. All of these cuts may beperformed sequentially or simultaneously.

Although the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 uses stock materialfrom which the release layer is removed, it is of course, possible fornon-adhesive plastics material to be employed for the cover sheet 2 inwhich case the station 103 at which the release layer is removed isreplaced by an adhesive applying station where adhesive is applied tothe surface of the web of plastics material either in a continuous layeror in lines or other repeating patterns.

The booklet 1 may incorporate different folding arrangements, differentwidths for each of the panels of the folded sheet and other additionalfeatures for which further non-limiting examples are given below.

In FIG. 6 a second booklet 22 is illustrated which is similar inconstruction to the booklet of FIGS. 1–3 and like reference numeralshave been employed where appropriate. With this second booklet, thefolded sheet 4 has two fold lines 23 and 24 that lie substantiallyparallel to the spine of the booklet, instead of the one fold line 21 inthe first booklet. This results in an even larger sheet on whichinformation may be printed. Also, the second panel section 9 b of thefirst panel extends beyond the edge of the back protective sheet 3 whenthe booklet 22 is fully open. It may also be seen that with this secondbooklet, the number of panels is such that the last panel, being a halfpanel, extends upwards from the bottom edge of the booklet, rather thandownwards from the top edge of the booklet as illustrated in FIGS. 1–3.

In FIG. 7 a third booklet 25 is shown that is similar to the bookletillustrated in FIG. 6 in that each of the panels is divided into threesections by means of two transverse fold lines 23 and 24. With thisthird booklet, unlike the sheets of the first and second booklets whichwere folded from a substantially rectangular sheet, with the thirdbooklet the first panel 9 of the sheet 4 is shorter in length than theremaining panels of the sheet and indeed the first panel 9 extends onlyto the first of the fold lines 23. This results in the second panelsection of the first panel 9 being omitted and the second panel section10 b of the second panel lying immediately adjacent the back protectivesheet 3.

The fourth booklet 26 illustrated in FIG. 8 generally comprises frontand back protective covers 2, 3 and a folded sheet 4 which has two foldlines 14, 15 extending substantially parallel to the length of thebooklet which divide the sheet into three panels 9, 10, 11. Each of thethree panels has a width less than the width of the front and backprotective covers 2, 3. Thus, the front and back covers have opposingmargins 27 with extend beyond the folded edges of the sheet 4. Unlikethe booklets illustrated in the previous figures, the fold line betweenthe first and second panels is present so that the second panel can befolded out of an overlapping arrangement with respect to the firstpanel. Thus, the line of adhesive to be found in the previousembodiments is omitted in this fourth booklet. However, as before, thefirst panel section 9 a is adhered to the front protective cover whilstthe second panel section 9 b lies immediately adjacent to but notadhered to the back protective cover 3.

When the fourth booklet is in its closed configuration, the folded sheet4 lies within the periphery of the front and back protective covers 2, 3with the folded sheet extending to the periphery at only one edge. Alongthe other three sides of the booklet the margins 27 of the front andback covers adhere to one another by means of the adhesive on the frontprotective cover to encapsulate the folded sheet.

Th fifth booklet 28 illustrated in FIG. 9 generally comprises front andback protective covers 2, 3 and a plurality of individual pages 29 onwhich information may be presented, the pages being secured togetherusing any of the conventional means available including but not limitedto mechanical means such as staples, sewing or adhesive. The front page9 is adhered to the front protective cover and has a cut-out 8. Thefront page 9 extends to the edge of the front cover distant from thespine of the booklet 28, whereas the remaining pages of the booklet allstop short of the same edge of the front cover so that an edge portionof the back cover is left uncovered and is able to adhere to the frontcover through the cut-out 8. The back page 30 is adhered to the backprotective cover 3 by means of a line of adhesive 31 adjacent the spineof the booklet. Each of the pages 29 of the booklet has a widthsubstantially equal to the width of the front and back covers.Preferably the pages 29 and the front and back covers have opposingco-terminus longitudinal edges. As for all of the booklets describedherein the front and back protective covers 2, 3 adhere directly to oneanother by means of the layer of adhesive on the inner surface of thefront cover sheet, along an edge region 6 which defines the spine of thebooklet.

The sixth booklet 32 is similar to the fifth booklet 28 in that thebooklet includes a plurality of individual pages 29 and in that opposinglongitudinal edges of each of the pages are co-terminus with the edgesof the front and back protective covers 2, 3. With this sixth booklet,however, at least some of the pages are folded about a fold line 33lying substantially parallel to the spine of the booklet such that inthe open position the pages extend twice the length of the booklet whenin its closed configuration. Although a single fold line is illustratedfor each of the extended pages in FIG. 10, it will be appreciated thatthe pages may be further extend through the addition of extra foldlines.

In the embodiments of the booklets described above the panel sectionimmediately adjacent the back protective sheet are not directly securedor adhered to the back protective sheet. It will, of course, be apparentthat, if desired, adhesive could be applied to either that panel sectionor to the surface of the back protective sheet to secure the pan Isection to the back protective sheet. Moreover, it is envisaged thatperforations or tear lines may be included in the folded sheet and inparticular to the extended pages to enable parts of the interior of thebooklet to be removed, as desired. This is particularly beneficial wherethe booklet is intended to contain a plurality of coupons, tickets orpharmaceutical prescriptions.

In the manufacture of the booklet, to ensure a fully automated process,the sheet bearing the printed information is folded and has one or moreof the fold lines removed in a die cutting operation. In the case of thefifth and sixth booklets 28 and 32 each of the longitudinal folded edgesis severed from the panels during the die cutting step.

In the example given above, the booklet is constructed with the bookletfacing downwards. However, in the alternative the intermediate bookletmay be placed face up on a web of plastics material that is to form theback cover sheet 3 of the final booklet 1. Adhesive is then applied tothe exposed upper surface of the folded sheet or the surface of a web ofplastics material that is applied over the top of the folded sheet andthe lower web of plastics material. The folded sheet or intermediatebooklet may simply be placed on the lower web of plastics material ormay be secured in position by means of adhesive. In a preferredmanufacturing method the adhesive is located in the selvage edge regionsof the folded sheet so that the adhesive between the back cover sheet 3and the folded sheet is removed during the die-cutting step.

Furthermore, although in the manufacturing methods described above thefront and back protective covers are formed from webs of plasticsmaterial, in an alternative one or both of the front and back covers maybe in the form of as series of separate sheet elements to each of whicha folded sheet is applied.

The booklet is suitable for many and varied applications, including butnot limited to road and rail maps, address books, directories, diariesand calendars and listings and tables of useful information, medical andnutritional information, technical instructions etc.

1. A booklet manufacturing method comprising the following steps:providing first and second webs of protective material; introducingbetween the first and second webs of protective material a series ofintermediate booklets; and cutting through at least the first and secondwebs of protective material to form individual booklets, wherein theintermediate booklets each comprise a sheet having at least one fold,and wherein, during the cutting step, each of the intermediate bookletsis cut so as to separate the fold from therefrom.
 2. A bookletmanufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of intermediatebooklets comprises a sheet folded at least once in two substantiallyorthogonal directions.
 3. A booklet manufacturing method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein each of the intermediate booklets is adhered to atleast one of the first and second webs of protective material.
 4. Abooklet manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstand second webs of protective material each comprise a series ofindividual sheet elements.
 5. A booklet manufacturing method as claimedin claim 1, wherein the first and second webs of protective materialeach comprise a plastics material.
 6. A booklet manufacturing method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate booklets are locatedsequentially on the first web of protective material and the second webof protective material is applied over the exposed surfaces of theintermediate booklets and the first web.
 7. A booklet manufacturingmethod as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first web includes adhesive towhich the intermediate booklets and the second web adheres.
 8. A bookletmanufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of theintermediate booklets is formed in a single cut.
 9. A bookletmanufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising foldingeach of the sheets at least once to form the intermediate booklets priorto the intermediate booklets being located between the first and secondwebs.
 10. A booklet manufacturing method as claimed in claim 9, whereineach of the sheets is folded at least once in two substantiallyorthogonal directions.
 11. A booklet manufacturing method as claimed inclaim 10, wherein each of the sheets is folded at least twice with atleast one panel of the folded sheet having a greater width than theremaining panels.
 12. A booklet manufacturing method as claimed in claim11, wherein an outermost panel has the greatest width.
 13. A bookletmanufacturing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the sheetsis folded so as to have an innermost panel that terminates distant fromthe folded edge of the sheet.
 14. A booklet manufacturing method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the booklet is cut to have a surface areasubstantially equal to that of a credit card.
 15. A booklet manufacturedby the method as claimed in claim 1.